Swellable Packers - How has this technology performed?

Published 7:00 pm, Saturday, May 2, 2015

This chart shows that TAM International’s FREECAP swellable packer is effective in both oil and water applications. Call TAM’s Midland office at432-250-6024 to put TAM to work for you.

This chart shows that TAM International’s FREECAP swellable packer is effective in both oil and water applications. Call TAM’s Midland office at432-250-6024 to put TAM to work for you.

Swellable Packers - How has this technology performed?

1 / 1

Back to Gallery

By Tim Davis,

TAM International Production Line Manager

Technology, old or new, plays an important role in our daily lives and in our professions. In the petroleum industry, specifically in the upstream sector, we tend to get comfortable with proven technology. In fact, on a daily basis, the petroleum industry uses technologies that are as old as 50 years, with great success.

A new technology should improve efficiency, reliability, and performance, and also be cost-effective. One technology that meets all these requirements is swellable packers. While it isn’t new (swellable technology has been around for approximately 12 years), the number of applications using swellable packers continues to grow.

Today, case histories show how swellable packers are being used to improve the efficiency of completion designs. This highly reliable technology is used to improve downhole annular isolation and, consequently, well performance. TAM International has manufactured swellable packers since 2005. Our FREECAP® (Fluid Reactive, Expanding Elastomer Casing Annulus Packer) is a line of specifically engineered packers that swell upon contact with wellbore fluids.

A variety of elastomers are available that will expand in water-based fluids or oil-based fluids. Altering the chemistry of the elastomer has led to a hybrid packer that will swell in an oil or water environment. This is especially useful for scenarios where it is unknown if there is oil, water, or both at the setting depth. FREECAP packers are highly reliable, have no moving parts, and require no inflation or manipulation to seal, removing the inherent risks of mechanical tools

TAM has a portfolio of elastomers from which to choose and will custom-wrap a client’s premium pipe in our new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility using the ideal elastomer for the specific application. A new method to increase the rate of swell (decrease the time to make a seal) has recently been developed. The demand for faster swelling times has come from extending FREECAP into applications where packers were previously seen as too slow. Additionally, reducing the time to seal allows wells to be stimulated sooner and production to come online in less time.

Many in our industry prefer to continue using old technology because it provides a comfortable strategy, which corresponds to a feeling of reduced risk. However, not including newer technology can result in wells that underperform compared to similar wells that have included new technology. A new technology that is evaluated based on efficiency, reliability, and performance can be adopted into a business strategy with high confidence.

TAM International, head­quartered in Houston, has been in business since 1967. In the Permian Basin, call 432-250-6024 and talk to Tom O’Grady, Ken Newton, or B. A. Perryman. Their web address is www.tamintl.com.